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If you’ve been keeping up with the latest season of Lifetime’s Dance Moms (and why in the world wouldn’t you be?!), then you are probably one of many that wish Areana Lopez was your BFF. Between middle school life and hours of dance classes, Ari has proved herself to be hard working, inspiring and—at the same time—just a normal 11-year-old girl. 

Just before the season six finale, we caught up with Ari to chat crazy schedules, life changing moments and what she *really* thinks of Maddie Ziegler. Keep reading to see what this chassé-ing cutie had to say.

Girl's Life: What does a typical day look like for you?
AL: An average day for me consists of waking up at 7 a.m. and going to sleep at midnight. I get ready, eat, stretch if I have time and head straight to dance until about 10 p.m. I’ll get home by 11:30 p.m., eat dinner, shower and go to bed—then start the whole thing over the next day! I do go to school on Mondays for an hour, and that’s the day I get all my homework done. I also stretch, help around the house and sometimes cook for my family. It’s great to sit down with them because we usually never get to eat together since I finish dance so late. I love quality family time. 

GL: What inspired you to start dancing?
AL: When I lived in Washington, I danced at High Step Dance Academy. But once I moved to California, I started dancing at Dance Dynamics and the Talent Planet. I started to take dancing more seriously as I got older, so my mom started driving me to [Los Angeles] to train at bigger studios. I was also heavily inspired by dancer Christina Ricucci. 

GL: How has your life changed since you started Dance Moms?
AL: Since starting Dance Moms, I’ve definitely gotten a lot more Instagram followers and fans. But it has been stressful because I don’t get to see my siblings and dad as much as I used to.

GL: What is your favorite style of dance?
AL: My favorite style of dance is contemporary because it has a *lot* of technique and it's my favorite music to dance to.

GL: When you're in the studio, do you feel like you are competing against the other dancers in your group or is it all good fun?
AL: The only time I really feel I’m competing against other dancers in the group is when we have solos. But otherwise, our group dances are all good fun. We have to work together because we are all 'one.'

GL: Who is your favorite original cast member from the show?
AL: Maddie [Ziegler] would have to be my favorite original cast member. Not only is she the best, but she’s super nice. I met her before I got on the show when we did a Skechers commerical together. I hope I can follow in her footsteps—I’m excited to see where she goes in the future!

GL: You are obviously a super busy girl, so how do you keep up with all of your fans on social media?
AL: When I have a free day, I will try to keep up with my social media. I definitely want to start a blog on YouTube, so you guys should convince my mom to buy me a camera so I can start! I bet if you comment on my Instagram posts to start a blog, she would definitely do it!

GL: On the flip side, how do you deal with the social media haters?
AL: It can be difficult to deal with social media haters because what they say does hurt. People say mean things, and not just to me, but to ordinary kids. Cyberbullying is very common and I wish it didn’t exist, but you just have to brush off the haters and not care about what they say.

GL: What is your school life like?
AL: I’m currently homeschooled, but I do go to a charter base school once a week. It really works out with how busy I am! I’m usually running all over the place, which I’m sure you’ve seen on my Snapchat. We also live part-time in Mexico, so it would be hard to go to public school! But school is still a number one priority, especially because without school, I won’t go anywhere. Managing both classes and school has become harder since I’ve entered junior high. I definitely have to keep my grades up, so I have to focus more as I get older. I hope to be a doctor or plastic surgeon one day, so it’s really important.

GL: What is your favorite part about being on Dance Moms?
AL: My favorite thing about being on Dance Moms is getting to dance with the allegiant years and being on the Abby Lee Dance Company team.

GL: What advice do you have for girls who want to dance professionally?
AL: Don’t give up on your dance dream because there is always someone to help you excel, even when you’re going through tough times. Dance like nobody's watching, and dance with your heart. 

Photo credit: Ari Lopez

by Kayla Anderson | 11/10/2016